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'Match fitness a vital factor in selection'

Arsène Wenger says match fitness will play an important part in his team selection for Sunday's trip to Liverpool.

The Frenchman told reporters at his pre-match press conference that, while you can gamble on one or two players, it is important to have players who are fully fit at the start of the season.

Robin van Persie hasn't played since the World Cup Final and Cesc Fabregas has just 45 minutes with Spain under his belt.

Denilson and Alex Song have both returned to training and could feature at Anfield while Abou Diaby is "fully available" for Sunday's match.

When he spoke to Arsenal TV Online on Thursday afternoon, Wenger said he was yet to decide on whether or not to play Van Persie and Fabregas. And that hadn't changed when he spoke to the media on Friday lunchtime.

"You can take a gamble on one or two," he said. "But when the championship starts you need players who are match fit.

"I will leave that [decision] until tomorrow because we have some other players just coming back. They are doing quite well but they are a bit short of match fitness of course.

"They could be involved in the squad because Fabregas has played 45 minutes. I have not decided yet.

"Not only them but we have some other players who are injured who have not played until now - like Denilson, like Song, like Diaby and match fitness will play an important part in my selection of course on Sunday.

"Denilson and Song are in training - if needed they can at least travel. Song has not practiced yet with the team. He will do that tomorrow. Diaby is fully available."

Copyright 2015 The Arsenal Football Club plc. Permission to use quotations from this article is granted subject to appropriate credit being given to www.arsenal.com as the source13 Aug 2010

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